The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26 doctoral programs.[6] The university's academic schools and programs include the College of Arts & Sciences, the Joseph M. Bryan School of Business & Economics, the School of Education, the School of Health and Human Sciences, the Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering (one of the first such schools in the nation), the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, the School of Nursing, Continual Learning, Graduate School, Warren Ashby Residential College and Lloyd International Honors College. The university is also home to the nationally renowned Weatherspoon Art Museum, which features one of the largest and most impressive collections of modern American art in the country.

Credit for the founding of UNCG goes mainly to Charles Duncan McIver, a crusader for the cause of women's education. Charles D. McIver served the institution as its first chief executive officer with the title of President. This position has also seen various names, with the administrator being known as the Dean of Administration after 1934 and Chancellor from 1945 to present.

The school was established as a women's college by legislative enactment on February 18, 1891 as the State Normal and Industrial School and opened October 5, 1892. The school provided instruction in business, domestic science, and teaching with a student body of 223 and a faculty of 15 in its first year. R. S. Pullen and R. T. Gray gave the original 10-acre (40,000 m2) site in Greensboro, N.C. where the first building was erected with state funds totaling $30,000. It is the first and only public university in North Carolina founded for the purpose of educating women. In 1949, it became the largest all-female institution in the United States.

The school has seen many names over the years, changing from the "State Normal and Industrial School" to the State Normal and Industrial College in 1896, and again in 1919 to North Carolina College for Women. In 1932, it changed to the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, when it became one of the three charter institutions of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, and changed again to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro when men were first admitted to the school in 1963. It is remembered fondly by many graduates of the Woman's College simply as "the W.C."

UNCG is in the midst of expanding beyond its traditional borders onto West Lee Street, a major city thoroughfare, with the construction of an 800 bed residence hall for students, and this is just the beginning of the $200 million project on Lee Street. The new construction will be a mixed-use development, with space for retail and restaurants, along with student residence halls and a new student recreation center. The university's expansion into the West Lee Street Corridor was triggered by UNCG's strategic housing plan, which calls for the university to increase the percentage of undergraduates living in university housing from 30 percent to more than 40 percent over the next decade.

In addition to providing room for UNCG's growth, the expansion also syncs with Greensboro's revitalization plan for the High Point Road/West Lee Street corridor, a main entry point and thoroughfare in the city. The project will also spur economic development in the area. Projections estimate the development will generate more than $590 million in new spending between 2014 and 2023, create 945 new jobs and boost local property revenues by $7.5 million. The expansion has not been without controversy, especially the $91 million athletic center. The athletic center is financed by a mandatory annual fee of $435 charged every UNCG student.[7]

A personnel scandal erupted in 2014. On September 25, UNCG terminated the employment of three persons in the University's public relations department and they were arrested on felony charges of operating a photography business on University time and with University property.[8] University faculty and staff protested the firings and arrests.[9] On October 30, the District Attorney dropped all criminal charges against the three former employees. UNCG defended reporting the incident to legal authorities, but announced that the former employees had the right to appeal their termination through the personnel grievance system.[10]

On October 20, 2014, Chancellor Linda Brady announced her retirement effective July 31, 2015. Brady said her retirement was not related to the ongoing personnel scandal at the University.[11] On January 27, 2015, the head of the public relations department tendered his resignation, effective February 6.[12]

The Princeton Review ranked UNCG #2 in its list of "Best Values" in public universities in the nation.It also places UNCG in the "Best in the Southeast" category and ranks UNCG among the nation's top colleges in "The Best 373 Colleges."

UNCG is recognized in Forbes 2010 America's Best Colleges.

Kiplinger's ranks UNCG as one of the 100 best values among public, 4-year schools in the United States. Six other North Carolina institutions made the list—Appalachian State, East Carolina, NC State, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UNC-Wilmington.

The UNCG School of Nursing has received one of the top national honors by the National League of Nursing, which has listed the school as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education.

UNCG's Counselor Education program is ranked by U.S. News & World Report-The Department of Counseling and Educational Development as third (nationally) among counseling programs in the magazine’s 2013 report. The program – the only specialty education program in the state to be ranked – has been consistently been ranked in the top five.

The School of Education is 56th in the country for 2010. In previous years, UNCG has been ranked in the top 50.

The Public Affairs graduate program is currently ranked 104 in the 2012 national universities' rankings.

UNCG was named as having the best public university chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in the country for the year 2006.[citation needed] It is also the home institution of North Carolina Poet Laureate emeritus Fred Chappell.

UNCG was named the Top Nursing program in North Carolina (2011)

The Evening MBA by the UNCG Bryan School of Business and Economics is ranked #13 in the nation, BloombersBusinessweek 2013 Part-Time MBA Ranking

Consumer, Apparel & Retail Studies program by the UNCG Bryan School of Business and Economics ranked as the 13th best fashion program in the nation by the website Fashion-Schools.org

UNCG has an architecturally diverse campus with distinctively unique landmarks.[16] Historic structures include the Foust Building (1891), Spencer Hall (1904, 1907), the Quad (1919–1923), the Chancellor's Residence (1923), Aycock Auditorium (1927), and Alumni House (1937).[17] Other features include a statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, located to the east of Elliott University Center. Minerva has been a part of campus from the first diploma bearing her likeness in 1894 to the statue erected near the center in 2003. Minerva also inspired the university's new graphic identity program, which was launched in 2004.

Other landmarks include "Charlie," a statue of the University's founder Charles Duncan McIver outside Jackson Library. The white tower stacks of the Jackson Library and the Spartan water tower are recognizable structures in the Greensboro community, and the campus is also home to "the Rawk" and the clock tower—two campus landmarks—and school traditions (See Traditions below). A new bell tower at the corner of College Ave. and Spring Garden St. was completed in 2005.

The Fountain is another landmark on UNCG's campus, and is a common meeting place for student groups. Visible from parts of the quad all the way to the Elliot University Center and from above in the Jackson Library and "the Caf," the large steps and platform around the fountain are frequently home to demonstrations, performances, and fraternity/sorority functions.

Of the students enrolled at the school, 32 percent are male and 68 percent female. Students come from 46 states and 90 countries. Around 25 percent of undergraduates are minorities, and 20 percent are African-American.

The intercollegiate athletics program at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro reaches as far back as the late 1940s during the days of the WCUNC, with students participating in national golf tournaments in 1948 and the school hosting the national tournaments for women's golf (1954) and tennis (1965). During the 1980s, all Spartan teams competed in Division III (non-scholarship) and then Division II (scholarship) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and all teams have competed in Division 1 since Fall 1991. Between 1982–1987 the Men's Soccer team won the NCAA Division III national championship title every year except for 1984. Today UNCG competes in the Southern Conference, which is made up of 12 schools across five states in the Southeast including Appalachian State University, Elon University, Davidson College, and Western Carolina University. Those four schools are generally regarded as UNCG's chief athletic rivals.

UNCG's men's basketball team moved into a "new" home in 2009–10, making the Greensboro Coliseum its home court. The move was announced by UNCG chancellor Dr. Linda Brady on December 5, 2008. As a preview of things to come, UNCG hosted Davidson in its new venue two months later and drew a crowd of 11,687. On December 29, 2010 a UNCG record attendance of 22,178 watched the Spartans host the Duke Blue Devils. At full capacity, the building holds more than 23,000 fans for basketball giving UNCG the ability to have potentially one of the largest basketball arenas in the country. UNCG utilitizes a variety of configurations for its contests with a minimum capacity of 7,617. As part of the move, the Coliseum remodeled a floor into a Spartan "home floor" and completely renovated a massive locker room space for the team, complete with training room, meeting facilities, coaches offices and a players' lounge. The team is coached by former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill player Wes Miller, who at the time of his appointment in 2012 was the youngest head coach in Division I.

Former UNCG women's basketball coach Lynne Agee, who retired following the 2010–2011 season, ranks among the most successful coaches in intercollegiate women's basketball history. Currently, she is one of just 45 coaches in the history of the women's game to have engineered more than 600 victories; see list of college women's basketball coaches with 600 wins. Under Agee’s guidance, UNCG reached the 20-win plateau 16 times. The Spartans also earned berths into the Division I national tournament once, the Division II tournament once and the Division III tournament seven times. With Agee at the helm, UNCG became one of only 10 teams nationally (all divisions) to reach the NCAA tournament each of the first seven years it was held (1982–1988). With UNCG’s 1998 NCAA appearance, Agee became the first women’s coach in history to take teams to the NCAA tournament in all three divisions. UNCG is now coached by Roxboro, Person County native and former WNBA player Wendy Palmer.

In Fall 2010, the Clubs and Organizations affiliated with UNCG included 36 Honor Societies and 20 Fraternities and Sororities. The University also has an active Student Government Association, founded in 1910,[18] Campus Activities Board (CAB), and several foreign culture groups, a Neo-Black Society, PRIDE! (An LGBT support and acceptance group.), Queer Student Collective, The Science Fiction Fantasy Federation, and various performing arts, religious and service programs. Student media groups also produce UNCG's newspaper The Carolinian, CORADDI Fine Arts Magazine, and WUAG 103.1 Campus Radio Station. The campus also includes numerous political organizations for students, including the College Republicans, College Democrats, College Libertarians[19][20] and the International Socialist Organization and other activist groups including STAND, an organization focused on the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan.

UNCG is home to 20 Social Fraternities and Sororities that each have their own traditions. Their main event is Greek Week, a weeklong celebration of Greek life and team building games that take place each year in April. Other events include Greek Treats in October and a luminary display in December.

The Rawk[21] is a large boulder donated by members of Alpha Phi Omega in 1973 and painted nearly every day by students, who use it as a giant message board. Unofficial rules govern the use of the Rawk, and students know not to use foul language and that messages must be left for at least 24 hours before being painted over. Students know when they can begin to paint over the previous message on The Rawk by the two smaller rocks in front of it; one for the date, and one for the time at which the message was painted. The Rawk was originally placed where the Fountain is today, on the hill in front of the Dining Hall.

The spelling of 'The Rawk' came about as a means to express the more iconic status of it. It is a part of UNCG's "Rawkin' Welcome Week," which they host a venue of activities to welcome the incoming freshman at the university.

Students at the University also uphold the tradition of not walking beneath the four-faced clock tower located near the Rawk. It is said that those who walk under the clock will not graduate on time, and some students believe in this almost religiously, avoiding the bricks around the clock tower as well. Only graduates and the occasional unbeliever walk through the middle of the four posts to read the plaque below the clocks.[citation needed]

Students are also told not to depend on the time shown on any of the clock's faces. All four faces tend to show slightly different times.

A new clock and bell tower, the Nicholas A. Vacc Bell Tower, was constructed in 2005 on the site of the old University Bell, at the corner of College Avenue and Spring Garden Street. The bells ring on the hour and on every quarter of the hour in a sequence made famous by the Big Ben chimes.

It is also a tradition each year to give new students a Minerva pin and a daisy—the school flower of UNCG—after student convocation. The daisy was the inspiration for the original two school colors: gold and white. (Navy blue was added to the color palette in 1987 "to provide better visual contrast to publications, merchandise and athletic uniforms."[22]) Another tradition is the ringing of the University Bell to open the academic year at the start of each Fall Semester.

Yet another tradition is to put a wreath of daisies at the foot of the statue of Charles McIver at UNCG and on the grounds of the North Carolina state capitol on Founder's Day. This is done by the Alumni of the University.

There has long been enthusiasm around making UNCG a more sustainable institution. Efforts in facilities, academic circles, and student groups have helped UNCG progress in positive ways. Complementing these efforts was the appointment of the “Environmental and Sustainability Manager,” a position that expanded the responsibilities of the Recycling Manager. The Environmental & Sustainability Manager was charged with reducing the overall environmental impact of the university in addition to waste management responsibilities. In 2004, the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling oversaw a comprehensive sustainability assessment of UNCG’s achievements in sustainability as well as possible areas for improvement.

Despite the independent initiatives of the OWRR and within the campus community, a unified, cross-campus collaboration was lacking. In Fall of 2006, resulting from an initiative of faculty senate president Anna Marshall-Baker, Provost A. Edward Uprichard, and Vice Chancellor of Business Affairs Reade Taylor, the University Committee on Sustainability was created and over 50 staff, faculty, students & administrators joined. The Committee brought to light UNCG’s commitment to becoming a sustainable institution.

UNCG established sustainability as one of its five Core Values through the 2009 Strategic Plan. In this document, the University defined sustainability as: Academics, operations, and outreach… conducted with careful attention to the enduring interconnectedness of social equity, the environment, the economy, and aesthetics. This action led to the creation of the Office of Sustainability with the hiring of the university’s first full-time Sustainability Coordinator in April 2010, as well as the formation of the UNCG Sustainability Council in September 2010.

In October 2011, Dr. Linda Brady, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), pledging the University to develop a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality. This action was the culmination of years of effort by faculty, students and staff to have UNCG emerge as a local and national leader in sustainable practices. It was also the primary reason for development of the campus Climate Action Plan (CAP), led by the UNCG Sustainability Coordinator, Trey McDonald and involving a team of more than 50 UNCG students, staff and faculty. The CAP team was divided into six working groups around specific focus areas – University Administration, Infrastructure Energy Use, Transportation, Materials Management, Water, and Academics and Outreach – and the final Plan was officially adopted on July 31, 2013.

The university has further expanded sustainability efforts into academics by appointing an “Academic Sustainability Coordinator.” This position is currently held by Dr. Aaron Allen, who is also an Associate Professor in the School of Music. To get up-to-date information on the UNCG Office of Sustainability, please visit their webpage: http://facsustainability.uncg.edu Achievements and Recognition:

Best Workplaces for Commuters Best University 2012; Gold Medal 2011, 2012, and 2013

League of American Cyclists – Bronze level Bicycle Friendly University.

UNCG is distinguished by its five leadership areas – business, cultural leadership, education, public policy and social change, and science. Additionally, the university is home to a bevy of research institutes and centers including the Gateway University Research Park, Center for Applied Research, Center for Creative Writing in the Arts, Center for Drug Discovery, Institute for Community and Economic Engagement, Center for Biotechnology, Genomics & Health Research, Music Research Institute and the Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE).

The University is organized into one traditional college, one specialty college and seven professional schools:

The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the eight academic units that make up the University, with almost 500 full-time faculty in 21 academic departments and seven interdepartmental programs, spanning the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics.

The school recently established a learning community Achieving Together of Math and Science (AToMS) and Innovation in Math Science (IMS) within the College of Arts and Sciences system. These communities' goals are to recruit incoming freshmen majoring in math and science to encourage advance research and excellence in academic achievements within these fields. As of 2013, more than 100 freshmen have enrolled in both AToMS and IMS with scholarship opportunities awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences.

UNCG requires all students, no matter what their major, to complete a General Education Curriculum (GEC) that includes courses in the traditional liberal arts, as well as courses that introduce them to new perspectives that have become increasingly important today. The College offers most of the University’s general education courses, in addition to the hundreds of more specialized courses that make up its undergraduate majors and graduate programs.

The College of Arts and Sciences has 7,135 undergraduates enrolled as of 2009 fall semester.

The International Honors College (Lloyd) is a selective honors college at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and provides undergraduate students in all majors an opportunity to reach a higher level of academic achievement in the same time it takes to earn a regular degree.

The College offers three Honors academic programs that allows students to enhance their general-education studies (General-Education Honors Program), work in their major (Disciplinary Honors Program), or their entire undergraduate education while at UNCG (Full University Honors Program). All Honors students take special Honors courses that are generally restricted to no more than 20–25 students and often have an interdisciplinary focus. For those who wish to complete General-Education Honors or Full University Honors, an international experience and a second language are required.

There are also a variety of independent study and research opportunities that give Honors students the chance to design courses that fit their special needs and interests and to work one-on-one with faculty. Finally, Lloyd International Honors College offers a variety of extracurricular opportunities including weekly coffees where students and faculty discuss issues of the day, student symposia, debates, special lectures and performances, enhanced study abroad opportunities, and special residence hall options.

The Bryan School of Business and Economics is the largest of UNCG's seven professional schools. It was founded in 1969, and is named for Joseph M. Bryan, a prominent figure in North Carolina business and philanthropy. It is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and is in the top 10% of schools in the nation[citation needed] that have earned this accreditation for business and economics. The school is organized into four different departments; Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, and Information Systems and Operations Management. A new degree in Marketing was added in the Fall of 2006. The entrepreneurship concentration became a full major in January 2010.

The Bryan School offers degrees at different levels. They include:

Undergraduate:

Accounting

Accounting and Information Systems

Business Administration

Economics

Entrepreneurship

Finance

Information Systems and Operations Management

International Business Studies

Marketing

Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism Management

Graduate:

Master of Arts in Applied Economics

MBA

MBA/Master of Science in Nursing joint degree

Master of Science in Accounting

Master of Science in Information Technology Management

Ph.D. in Economics

Ph.D. in Information Systems

Certificates:

Post-baccalaureate Certificate for Studies in Business Administration

Post-baccalaureate Certificate for Studies in Information Technology

Post-master’s Certificate in Management

Post-master’s Certificate in Financial Analysis

Post-master’s Certificate in International Business

Post-master’s Certificate in Information Technology

The Bryan School has 75 full-time faculty as well as 2,000 undergraduates and 450 graduate students. There are also more than 18,000 alumni.

The School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro

The School of Education has several graduate programs, one notable one being a Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Educational Studies with a Concentration in Cultural Studies from the Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations Department.

The history of the School of Education of UNCG has its roots in the founding of the university itself. Originally designated in 1891 as the North Carolina State Normal and Industrial School, UNCG was established as a school to train women educators, based on the assumption that if women received training they would, in turn, educate their children and ultimately improve the level of education and literacy in the state.

Founding of “the Normal” was a long time in coming. Although providing state-supported higher education for women in North Carolina had been an occasional topic of discussion among educators, the idea did not appear to be taken seriously until after the Civil War. When the idea was first formally proposed to the state’s legislators, all of whom were men, it was overwhelmingly resisted. It was not until Charles Duncan McIver reminded the General Assembly that the state’s Constitution asserted “instruction of youth would be provided at low prices and would be encouraged at one or more universities.” McIver argued that women were part of its youth and were, therefore, rightfully entitled to an education.

In addition to the constitutional basis for establishing an institution for women, several other factors came into play. First, there was an extensive need for qualified public school teachers, a career path assumed to be especially attractive to women. Also, there was overwhelming evidence that the public school system in North Carolina was among the worst in the nation. For example, the average national expenditure per student enrolled in the public schools was $17.62, but North Carolina spent only $3.36 per student. Similarly, the average national length of the school year was 135 days, but it was only 60 days in North Carolina.

Indeed, for almost a decade after the Normal was founded, the curriculum involved diplomas awarded for work that was distinctly below college level. At the time few public high schools turned out female graduates who were prepared to handle college-level work. The curriculum was gradually modified over time and the Normal School became a full-fledged College in 1897. Baccalaureate degrees followed in 1903 and graduates were awarded a “diploma and life license” to teach in North Carolina.

The School of Health and Human Sciences is a school of study at UNCG. It is one of two schools in the state to offer a Recreation and Hospitality Management degree.[citation needed]
Undergraduate Programs

Public Health

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Dance

Exercise and Sport Science

Hospitality Management

Leisure Service Management

Recreation and Parks Management

Therapeutic Recreation

Travel and Tourism

Music Performance/Education

Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture (4+ year degree)

Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies Major

(With concentrations in Birth through Kindergarten Teacher Licensure, Child and Adolescent Development in the Family, Early Care and Education, and Family Studies.) [2]

The UNCG School of Music, Theatre and Dance is home to over 900 student majors and more than 100 distinguished faculty members. On July 1, 2010, the School of Music was combined administratively with the departments of theater and dance to create the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. The offices for the new combined school remain in the current music building.

The School of Nursing was established in September 1966 under the leadership of the first Dean, Eloise R. Lewis. The first class of BSN students graduated in 1970. In 1976, the MSN program was initiated. The School began the PhD program Fall 2005. The School continues to offer both undergraduate and graduate programs with over 4,000 alumni. The School also offers an outreach program in Hickory, North Carolina for RN to BSN students and a concentration in education for MSN students.

The average passage rate for the NCLEX is over 90% for prelicensure graduates and all of the graduates from the nurse anesthesia program are nationally certified. The Adult and Gerontological Nurse Practitioner program leads to eligibility for national certification.

Students have the opportunity for clinical experiences in over 400 agencies throughout the state of North Carolina. The School supports four nursing clinics for the elderly as educational sites for students. All students are advised by nursing faculty.

The Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering (“JSNN”) is a collaborative project between North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and UNCG. The mission of the JSNN is to train students to conduct basic and applied research in nanotechnology.

The Joint School for Nanoscience and Nanoengineering is expected to offer Professional Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. Nanoscience and Nanoengineering training for scientists and engineers already in the workforce. The JSNN will engage in activities that influence economic development locally and globally. This program will support the entrepreneurial activities at both campuses to better transfer innovation to practice.

Programs of study focus on three main areas: nanobioscience, which emphasizes biological and chemical aspects of nanoscience; nanotechnology, which emphasizes engineering and ecological aspects; and environmental nanoscience, which will address ethical and environmental implications of nanoscience. These programs of study lead to Professional Masters or PhD degrees. The biological and chemical research emphasis offered by the JSNN is the first in the nation. The only other two existing professional master’s programs in nanoscience and nanoengineering are at Rice University and University at Albany, SUNY, neither of which offers a biological or chemical emphasis.

JSNN and its academic, research and outreach programs will position North Carolina to take advantage of the explosive economic growth expected from the next wave of nanotechnology innovation. Commercialization of fundamental research in Nanoscience and Nanoengineering will have a broad impact across many industries and enable technologies that were once thought impossible.

The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro directs and manages the graduate programs on campus for approximately 3600 graduate students from 33 states and 34 foreign countries.

Some of the activities coordinated by The Graduate School Staff:

Disseminate program and admission information to prospective students

Collect and process application materials submitted to The University

Coordinate the admission process with academic departments

Assist students with interpretation of policy, course registration and withdrawal

Monitor academic eligibility

Review theses/dissertations for formatting requirements

Process applications for Graduation

Process degree audits/degree clearances

Work with the Graduate Studies Committee to approve all new/revised graduate programs, curricula, and policy

Gateway University Research Park is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit entity created to manage and operate the joint collaboration between North Carolina A&T State University and UNCG for the purposes of supporting research and economic development within the Triad. Gateway University Research Park aims to attract and retain educational, corporate and community service agencies which advance scientific and educational research in technology. The park consists of two campuses. This novel joint venture between NCA&T and UNCG is designed to facilitate collaborations between world-class researchers and businesses – to move scientific discoveries from the lab to the marketplace benefitting the local community, region, and North Carolina by transforming cutting-edge intellectual properties into thriving business ventures.

A $400 million master plan has been developed for the two campuses of Gateway University Research Park and when fully developed, the research park is anticipated to generate an economic impact of $50 million per year in the Triad. Upon full build out of the project, it is further anticipated that companies and agencies located at the Gateway University Research Park will encompass more than 2,000 employees. The Southeast campus of the research park already houses the aforementioned School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering.

Cornelia Strong College provides a social and academic community within the context of the larger university. There is no specific curriculum. The college is open to resident and non-resident undergraduate and graduate students. Strong College fellows are faculty members who take an active role in the development of Strong College's student members.

Ione Grogan College, established in 1997, is limited to freshman and serves about 300 students per year. The college is divided into smaller learning communities, each headed by a faculty fellow. The college offers classes that meet general requirements, and ease freshman into the college experience.

The Warren Ashby Residential College at Mary Foust, established in 1970, is a community of freshman and sophomore students, faculty and staff who live or work in Mary Foust Hall. Also known as RC (or ARC), the college offers small classes, close student and faculty interaction and a rich community living experience.

In addition to freshmen and sophomores, those who have graduated from the program and are rising juniors or seniors may apply to be Mary Foust upperclassmen. Typically 8–12 or so juniors and seniors are selected each year to continue living in Mary Foust as mentors. Each upperclassman is required to complete an "upperclassman project." These projects are typically activities that support community interaction within Mary Foust.

Many Mary Foust alumni continue to support and participate in Ashby Residential College. Many of the staff are alumni.

^UNCG Spartans Athletics website. "Hines has career records at UNCG with 2,187 points, 1,047 rebounds and 349 blocks. He is one of 97 players in college basketball history to record 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds and one of just six to also have 300 career blocks joining Alonzo Mourning, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Pervis Ellison and Derrick Coleman." Accessed March 14, 2008.